Ok, talk to me about your supply

[TheLegendOfBeans]

Just a quick question...

I give DS a combination of Bfing, expressed milk in a bottle, and one FF a day at 10pm. The latter successfully gets him through to 2am; a great success considering he’s only 25 days old.

I am quite self conscious about feeding and expressing amongst others and I’ve had in laws and my aunt staying with me meaning I’ve not got as much opportunity to pump as much as I’d like.

I had a huge yield in week 1 but it’s settled down now - was 200ml per pump, now I’m averaging 130ml. However it’s fallen further today and I’m a bit scared it’s away to crash out (this happened to me before, it wiped out overnight).

Now all inlaws and family have gone away I just want to spend the next couple of days trying to reboot my milk supply. I am freaking as I’ve no pumped milk left in the fridge and I want to try and get at least two packs of 150ml in there at any time.

My question is: is your supply variable and how do you reboot it? What’s the smallest it’s fallen to and why?

I know that advice exists to just hole up in a dark room, attach baby to breast and go for it for two days but that is not an option for me. I pump three times a day but I’d like to raise it to a fourth. Thoughts?

The advice I've always had has is to pump 6-8 times a day, or every 3h to increase supply, including one or two sessions overnight. Also frequency is more important than volume of time pumping, so if you are struggling with time to pump, grab 5 mins with the pump where you can.

What's your diet and liquid intake like? I always found eating and drinking more to be a very quick way to help supply. Oats are supposed to be great.

Next step: supplements. Mother's milk tea and fenugreek tablets. You should be able to find these at shops like Holland & Barrett.

What time of day do you pump? I always got better output in the morning. Mid-morning was usually my best time.

I do think it could be better. I used to drink tons of water per day but since DS arrived and balancing a newborn & a toddler it’s shocking how you forget basic things.

So yes, more water required. I get my pumping done once in the morning, once in the evening and once at 4:30am as that’s when DS completes his overnight feed.

I have however managed two pumps this morning and am feeling pleased with the yield.

Beans, not sure why you are pumping at all?

Is it not an option just to feed your baby direct, as often and as 'ad lib' as you and the baby wish?

Judging your supply by what you can express is very misleading.

You are clearly doing this, and you are experiencing resulting anxiety and nervousness - not helpful! Having said that, an average of 130 ml per session is more than most people would get....

Extra water, special foods, herbs and whatever - they are really irrelevant. The ONLY thing that us certain to increase milk supply is more often, more efficient removal of milk from the breasts :)

So this means more breastfeeding...and if you feel you need to express then, yes, that will also remove milk from the breasts.

But why bother? Especially as it is awkward, time-consuming and a proper nuisance. If you baby is feeding well from you direct, there should be no need. Expressing many times a day in addition to breastfeeding with a tiny baby.....aaarrrggghhh! When do you get the time to do anything else? You are feeding the most difficult way at the moment - BF, expressed in a bottle, and formula. Way to make life harder than you need :) :)

Have a think about it. What might make life with your newborn easier?

Oops, forgot you have a toddler as well.

Yikes....pumping on top of all that?!

It's only serving to make you worried :(

tiktok I assumed she works. I pumped for 10 months when I went back to work so yes supplements and diet matter as you can’t just latch to your baby all day!

Eeanne her baby is less than four weeks old. She’s not at work too.

Not sure what point you’re making, sorry :)

Effective and frequent removal of milk is far more important than diet and supplements.

ticktok are you trying to be argumentative?

I don't live in Europe and women go back to work here at 6-8 weeks post-partum. So yes pumping at 4 weeks is definitely something essential for a lot of us. I'm sorry to have assumed and so my advice was based on OP needing to pump. Supplements and diet are important variables in that situation.

I gave advice in good faith, if you didn't like it sincere apologies.

Not being argumentative, honestly :)

You made the assumption that at 25 days postnatal the OP was working outside the home.

I made the assumption that as she had never mentioned she was at work outside the home, and this is a predominantly UK site, that she was not at work outside the home.

If someone is at work, and wants to continue excl BF, then yes, she'll prob have to express to maintain excl BF.

But this was not the issue raised by the OP.

I don't know what makes you think I might be being argumentative.

I would of course take issue with your view that diet and supplements are a necessary part of any of this....but that's just because to make this a generalisation, as you did, is incorrect.

HTH :)

Oh blimey, guys guys!

Thank you both for your input, just to caveat something though - pumping gives me less anxiety about how DS (4w old today!) is taking in. We had a terrible experience bfing with DD - her tongue was so tied, it grew back, she couldn’t ever latch, we got thrush etc...pumping gives me peace of mind re volume and I initially used the pump to heavily express to build up a surplus.

ANYWAY; I feel like I’m on an episode of The Chase, my supply is hovering round 100-130ml yield from two boobs and DS is getting bigger and taking in more!

I just can’t feed on demand. It smashed my brain when I tried to do it before, we need a degree of structure and DS is starting to settle into a 3.5 hourly routine. 2 hours (the norm for bfing IME) is too much.

Definitely going to keep putting him to the boob when I can though, I find bfing a joy in a way now I have a baby who doesn’t have a fused tongue x

Ps: I’m not back to work unti April next year (but if I’d stayed in my former country I’d have been back Jan 3rd argh)

Best of luck, legend :)

It's at least up for discussion how much expressing really alleviates anxiety....no one knows how much volume individual babies need at any one time, or on any one occasion, so working with actual numbers can be misleading. Micro-observing 'lactation performance' may appear necessary in the short term. But it has its drawbacks, no doubt about that.

Whatever....you know what works best for you at present, so go for it :)